Blog

RONNIE JAMES DIO’S FIRST SIX STUDIO ALBUMS HAVE BEEN REMASTERED FOR A NEW BOXED SET CALLED, “A DECADE OF DIO: 1983-1993,” DUE JULY 22ND

Ronnie James Dio’s sinister howl and wicked songcraft bewitched hard rock fans in the Seventies and Eighties during his memorable stints with Elf, Rainbow, and Black Sabbath. In 1983, the singer formed his own band, launching a successful solo career that led to 10 studio albums and sales of more than 10 million records around the world.

Rhino follows Dio through the band’s early years with A Decade Of Dio: 1983-1993, a new boxed set that brings together the group’s first six studio albums, each one featuring newly remastered sound. It includes: Holy Diver (1983), The Last In Line (1984), Sacred Heart (1985), Dream Evil (1987), Lock Up The Wolves (1990), and Strange Highways (1993).

Rhino will release two versions of A Decade Of Dio: 1983-1993, first on CD and then on vinyl. Both versions come housed in boxes featuring new artwork by Marc Sasso, who was responsible for many of the band’s iconic covers. The CD set will debut on July 22nd for a list price of $34.98.

The vinyl incarnation of the set will be available on October 4 for $99.98, and comes with a bonus 7″ single. On the first side is the 1983 version of Evil Eyes, which was originally released as the b-side on the Holy Diver single. In addition, this version is different from the one featured on the 1984 album The Last In Line. The flip side features Time To Burn, which was the only studio track featured on the otherwise live release, Intermission (1986).

After two albums with Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio left in 1982 and formed Dio with fellow Sabbath band mate Vinny Appice on drums. The group’s platinum-selling debut Holy Diver arrived in 1983 and is now revered as a heavy metal masterpiece, including two songs that would become rock signatures: the title track and the epic Rainbow In The Dark.

The band returned the following year with The Last In Line (1984), which became the band’s second platinum seller and included the single Mystery, as well as We Rock, a song the band often used to close its shows. Sacred Heart (1985) achieved gold certification and introduced fans to the concert staple Rock N’ Roll Children. Dio’s fourth studio album, Dream Evil (1987) included the singles All The Fools Sailed Away and I Could Have Been A Dreamer.

In the Nineties, the group released two more stellar studio albums. Lock Up The Wolves arrived in 1990 and featured the single Hey Angel and rocking title track. Following a brief reunion with Black Sabbath in 1992, Dio returned with Strange Highways in 1993. The album featured future fan favorites like Jesus, Mary and The Holy Ghost, Evilution, and the title track.

Although Ronnie James Dio lost his battle with stomach cancer in 2010, his towering voice and legacy live on. The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, co-founded by Wendy Dio, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable fund dedicated to supporting cancer-prevention research, raising awareness and educating the public about the vital importance of early detection and prevention when dealing with this deadly disease.

A Decade Of Dio: 1983-1993 album listing:

Holy Diver (1983)
The Last In Line (1984)
Sacred Heart (1985)
Dream Evil (1987)
Lock Up The Wolves (1990)
Strange Highways (1993)

WHITFORD/ST. HOLMES STREAM “HOT FOR YOU”

Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford, and Ted Nugent singer, Derek St. Holmes, has resurrected their Whitford/St. Holmes band. Their second album called, Reunion, will be released on on June 3rd.

The band is currently streaming the song, Hot For You, at Billboard, click here to listen to it.

Whitford/St. Holmes will be touring with Whitesnake, starting June 3rd in Dallas, Texas. To view their complete tour itinerary, and read more about, Reunion, please click here.

Regarding Aerosmith, Whitford tells Billboard, “We keep talking about doing what we may call a farewell tour, but based on the KISS approach that could go on for three to five years,” Whitford says with [a] laugh. “But, yeah, we’re talking about it and seriously looking at that just based on our age and some of the markets, will we ever get back there?” It could start as soon as next year and will likely be a worldwide trek, including Europe and Asia in addition to North America.”

“It’ll probably be a bit of a relief,” Whitford confesses. “It’s a struggle to get things done with that band. It can take the wind out of your sails sometime, there’s so much time wasted. For me it’s about the music, and we seem to have lost quite a bit of that energy in the Aerosmith camp. Everything turns out to be about something else, and it has nothing to do with the music. It gets old.”

additional source: billboard.com

GUITARIST MICHAEL SCHENKER DISCUSSES HIS NEW LIVE CD AND SAYS “EVEN IF WE WANTED TO FIX SOMETHING, WE COULDN’T DO THAT”

As previously reported, Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock released a live CD, DVD and Blu-ray, titled On A Mission: Live In Madrid, on April 27th in Japan, April 29th in Europe, and May 6th in North America.

Schenker spoke with Greg Prato of Bravewords about this release and other topics. Selected quotes from the feature article appear below.

Discussing how On A Mission is an authentic live CD/DVD/Blu-Ray:

“We decided that even if we wanted to fix something, we couldn’t even do that, because there were so many microphones all over the place in the venue, that if you fix a note, you still hear the old one. You can’t get rid of it. So it was a good thing that everything worked out well.”

Schenker on how he categorizes his career and life:

“I must say, my life comes in three sections – so that will make it how I relate to the current people I play with. There are three chapters, and they all have purpose. In my first chapter, I did my musical contribution – it was created to the world and was created in the ’70s. I did it unconsciously – I had no idea what I created then. Rudolf, my brother, called me up from America in the ’80s, and said, ‘Michael, they’re all playing your style here!’ I said, ‘No way!’ I was not aware of that.

In the middle years, after I had left the Scorpions after Lovedrive, after I opened the door of America for them, I withdrew, and I was more into experimenting musically and developing on a personal level. Which the middle years were important for me. In 2008, I had this incredible urge to be on stage, and I never liked to be on stage. So, I don’t understand why all of a sudden I wanted to be on stage. So the middle years, actually prepared me and told me what I actually did in the beginning, and now, in my third phase, I can consciously continue where I left off in the first phase – with the help of the middle years – and enjoy now and bring everything to the next level.”

Read more at Bravewords.

additional source: bravewords.com

EDDIE TRUNK DISCUSSES WHICH FIVE ALBUMS HE WOULD HAVE ON A STRANDED ISLAND AND WHICH NAMES IN HIS CELL PHONE MAKE HIM SAY, “WOW!”

Jimmie Tramel of Tulsa World spoke with our very own Eddie Trunk. The interview appears in its entirety below.

Tulsa World: You’re stranded on an island and you can have only five albums. What are they?

Eddie: I’m going to go mostly live albums. They give you the best of both worlds. It’s the best material usually done the best way. So I have to go with UFO Strangers in the Night. I would go Aerosmith Live! Bootleg. I would go KISS Alive!, probably Judas Priest Unleashed in the East and oh, I only get one more. So, so tough. Off the top of my head, I would go with the first Van Halen record, I guess. Can I get six? I’ve got to have Black Sabbath Heaven and Hell.

Tulsa World: Of all the names and numbers in your cell phone, which one makes you go, “Wow?”

Eddie: It’s weird because if they are in my cell phone, then that means I am really good friends with them and that we are really close.

But, by the same token, if I take a step back, the fan in me looks and I say, wow, it’s somebody like Rob Halford who actually texted me yesterday. … I grew up as a huge Judas Priest fan. Joe Perry from Aerosmith. Joey Kramer from Aerosmith.

I always say this all the time, and I don’t mean this as demeaning to the ’80s guys, but I am the same age as them. I grew up in the ’80s. We grew up together in the business, so as much as I am a fan of theirs, to me they are very much like friends I grew up with in the business.

The guys in the ’70s are the guys that I grew up with their posters on my wall. So, whether it’s Ace Frehley of KISS or Joe Perry or Joey Kramer of Aerosmith or whether it’s Rob Halford or any of these, or Cheap Trick – any of these guys that I had that close of relationship with long before I was in the business and now we are friends, that’s really special to me. The late Ronnie James Dio I was extremely close with. … So those are the guys. Whenever their number flashes on my screen, it’s pretty darn cool.

source: tulsaworld.com